[barondla]

Have them send you the mount, you can surely put it on your camera. wow what a let down sorry mate

It isn't that simple! Installing a new lens mount requires checking the exact distance from the focal plane and making sure the mount is perfectly parallel to the sensor. Otherwise, sharpness will suffer. These measurements are especially important in this case since the camera suffered a tremendous impact. I'm glad C.R. Kennedy can do the job. They've been so helpful I'm a little sad I can't do business with them.

Thanks,
barondla

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Last edited by barondla; 06-11-2020 at 10:50 PM.

[BruceBanner]

They should just apologise and give you a replacement 645Z tbh.

[Ed Hurst]

It isn't that simple! Installing a new lens mount requires checking the exact distance from the focal plane and making sure the mount is perfectly parallel to the sensor. Otherwise, sharpness will suffer. These measurements are especially important in this case since the camera suffered a tremendous impact. I hope C.R. Kennedy has the proper alignment tools to do the job.

Thanks,
barondla

They say they do, as long as it's only a matter of fitting and aligning the mount.

---------- Post added 06-12-20 at 03:49 PM ----------

They should just apologise and give you a replacement 645Z tbh.

Not quite sure how I can make that happen, but obviously that would be a nice outcome for me. Then the only thing they need to do is invent a time machine so that I can UN-miss the pictures I am about to miss taking.

[Sandy Hancock]

I still have a spare K-1 Ed....

[BruceBanner]

They say they do, as long as it's only a matter of fitting and aligning the mount.

---------- Post added 06-12-20 at 03:49 PM ----------



Not quite sure how I can make that happen, but obviously that would be a nice outcome for me. Then the only thing they need to do is invent a time machine so that I can UN-miss the pictures I am about to miss taking.

Hehe, well... they essentially broke your camera. I'd be pushing for a replacement, repair and at least a new warranty. A bash like that can also mean other problems that you have yet to discover once you get a lens on it. At what point do they call it quits and take responsibility?

I really feel for you, hopefully this repair will be smooth sailing for you without further emotional trauma!

[DIGIDOWNUNDER]

Damage like that can only come down to poor packaging at some stage. A well packed camera you should be able to throw at a brick wall and not sustain damage. I feel your pain and frustration, but it always helps to remember it still is only a material object that can be replaced.

[niceshot]

They say they do, as long as it's only a matter of fitting and aligning the mount.

---------- Post added 06-12-20 at 03:49 PM ----------



Not quite sure how I can make that happen, but obviously that would be a nice outcome for me. Then the only thing they need to do is invent a time machine so that I can UN-miss the pictures I am about to miss taking.

You know this is very tragic,but I AGREE with some others here they should replace it free of charge at this point. God know what else is messed up at a result of the shock it took. I WOULD have them take it back.Either way good luck.

[BruceBanner]

Thanks for your messages of support guys. I have to confess, I am utterly banjaxed by this turn of events. It's that feeling of being impotent in the face of capricious fate that I cannot cope with - all I can do is send it right back to C.R. Kennedy and wait an unknown amount of time for a resolution, while numerous photographic opportunities pass me by... That's what's killing me!

In answer to some of the more specific points above, I actually don't think (until now) that it has been going on for a long time. Given the unfortunate fact that a 645Z shutter replacement can't be done within Australia (I still think Pentax should make sure it can be, but still...), going from the problem first occurring to having it fixed in the Philippines and back with me in just over a month strikes me as very good going, especially during a pandemic. I truly have no complaint about the speed or responsiveness of service in relation to C.R. Kennedy in this case. None whatever.

Re. liability and who might help, to their credit, C.R. Kennedy are taking full responsibility for this damage. Whether the damage occurred while it was directly with them (which seems highly unlikely), with Pentax in the Philippines, while being shipped from Pentax to C.R. Kennedy or while being shipped from C.R. Kennedy to me, all of those options lie within the responsibility that C.R. Kennedy have to me; my responsibility only starts after I receive it. They are acting as Pentax's agent; all shipping was organised either by them or by Pentax. So, however the damage exactly took place, it seems to have been accepted by C.R. Kennedy that it's in no way my responsibility. C.R. Kennedy are responsible to me. No doubt, Pentax, courier companies and others are responsible to them (but that's not my affair).

It would be grossly unreasonable for C.R. Kennedy to ask me to take this up with the couriers that they engaged, with Pentax, or with the couriers that Pentax engaged. Thankfully, there's no suggestion of that. So I really have no complaints as far as taking responsibility is concerned. My main concern is that the bloody camera is still not with me! As we speak, it's on its way back to C.R. Kennedy in Melbourne, so we shall see what happens. They can replace a lens mount themselves. If that's all that's damaged, I may have it back fairly soon. If there is damage to parts other than the mount (which is possible/probable, given the obvious force involved in the impact), they may or may not have to send it to the Philippines again. And then, God knows how long I will continue to be without it...

Silent Street: As for my patience and restraint, let me assure you that I lack both of those estimable qualities. Just ask my wife what I was like last night when I first discovered the jammed body cap! I refused to be around her or anyone else all evening, preferring to growl and stare into space; I barely slept all night and was about as approachable as a psychotic bear. I advised her to leave me alone, lest I upset her with my general grouchiness, so just stewed in my own pit of despair. But I can't shout at the person I deal with at C.R. Kennedy, who has already moved Heaven and Earth to get the camera back to me quickly. It's not his fault. And I need his help now anyway ;-)

Meanwhile, there is (of course) a very good forecast for astro photography for Sunday and Monday nights and I will be missing that. Who could ever compensate me for lost pictures that I will never get to take?

Ed

I know it's hard, but when negativity strikes try to find a positive. Even right now, for my wife during this pandemic there are changes occurring in workplaces that will see post covid that all workers (for her department) the right to work from home, the executives are pushing for it. For someone like her whom commutes from the Blue Mountains into Sydney 5 days a week, this is great news and certainly eases mental stress going forward. Of course it doesn't make up for the fact Covid is bad, but even bad things can have a silver lining somewhere, if we search for it.

My advice to you is to think about a second camera body. This is the bottom line message of despair I hear from you. A second camera whatever that format might be (K-1, GRIII.. whatever), might just tie your sanity over for awhile and even perhaps engage you photographically different from the tasks the 645Z can muster. '$h!t happens', and I know that doing professional work means I must have two bodies in case the unthinkable happens to one body, but you don't have to be a professional to appreciate that security blanket, any passionate enthusiast photographer can feel the same pain.

I hope CR Kennedy are able to fix your issue promptly and I hope this community has provided some sort of support during this painful time for you (thus sparing your wife somewhat ahaha).

[Paul the Sunman]

I've seen some horrible baggage handling at airports in my time. No amount of packaging makes the contents absolutely safe. If CRK can fix it in Melbourne, it should be a quick turn-around. Good luck.

[w2ck]

Hi,

Oh, dear!

Stan

[kaseki]

In my opinion, that kind of a dent could not easily occur in shipping with a lens cap attached and any reasonable about of packing material, excluding box penetration with a fork lift. I would bet (a lot less than the camera is worth) that it was dropped with a lens on it. The lens struck one part of its front edge causing the asymmetrical dent. Does the lens cap front surface show the amount of damage it would have to receive to make that much metal damage at its rear? Or is Pentax plastic stronger than metal?

[Ed Hurst]

OK. Quick update. The camera has been received/assessed by C.R. Kennedy in Melbourne and they have decided that the camera needs to go back to Pentax in the Philippines. They are of the view that checking the mount alignment (and ensuring there are no other issues with the body) can better be done there. I think Pentax also want to see it themselves so that they can take the issue up with their shipping providers...

In the meantime, they are sending me a loan camera (which they indicated, when I initially wanted the shutter to be replaced, wouldn't be possible; I suppose there's a greater wish to make things possible after I have the camera was damaged!). There will be no charge to me. All of this seems like reasonable handling of the issue.

I have indicated that I remain worried, even after the repair is done, that other problems might eventually surface due to the knock my camera received. C.R. Kennedy have indicated that they think that unlikely, but that they would take responsibility for that if it arises. Of course, I would rather have a new replacement camera, but I am willing to take the chance and see what happens. But if anything else goes wrong that could in any way be attributed to this knock, I will certainly change my approach and insist on a replacement. I realise many of you believe that I should be pushing for a replacement camera now; I see this point and thank everyone for it. However, given the provision of a loaner, the ongoing responsibility for issues that arise and the very helpful support I have received from C.R. Kennedy throughout, I am willing to accept their approach for now. But my attitude will change if any other issues are experienced as a result of my camera being badly bashed.

The main thing, which no one can ever resolve, is that I will receive the loan camera just after two perfectly clear nights which would have been ideal for astro photography. Not just normal clear nights, but the sort of special clarity, all the way down to the horizon, that I haven't seen for years. That is extremely galling... But there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Bruce - I hear you on having a second body. But there's a problem here... I am so addicted to the results I get from my 645Z, and am such a hard core obsessive, that I just wouldn't be happy with anything produced by anything else. I realise results from full frame cameras now are very good; I also hear you that other types of camera might encourage me to produce different sorts of work. But I know myself - all I would do is look at the results and wish they had been taken with a 645Z. I would rather go through the wringer and wait for my 645Z than put energy/money into other cameras and just not be happy with the results. The answer would be two 645Zs, of course - but I just can't afford that. It's a terrible bind. I know what you say makes logical sense, but I also know it wouldn't satisfy me. So I just have to work on the basis of the one 645Z and constantly hope for the best! It's hard being a single-minded, inflexible idiot about this stuff, but I know that I am.

As for everyone else's excellent points above about the mystery of how it happened, I am as mystified as you all are. I don't see how this could occur within a proper package. I don't see how it could occur at all and leave the body cap unscathed. And if the body cap wasn't attached at the time, I don't see how it could have been mounted after the damage. I am unable to produce a clear or logical account of what happened. All I know is that it did happen while not on my watch and I am just mightily glad that C.R. Kennedy are taking responsibility for offering me a solution here. They jolly well should, of course; but that doesn't automatically mean that they would. So kudos to them for that.

Looks like I will be back in action in a day or two. Just in time to pine for the conditions I have just missed!

Thanks to everyone here for your most excellent support, advice and empathy :-)

[BruceBanner]

OK. Quick update. The camera has been received/assessed by C.R. Kennedy in Melbourne and they have decided that the camera needs to go back to Pentax in the Philippines. They are of the view that checking the mount alignment (and ensuring there are no other issues with the body) can better be done there. I think Pentax also want to see it themselves so that they can take the issue up with their shipping providers...

In the meantime, they are sending me a loan camera (which they indicated, when I initially wanted the shutter to be replaced, wouldn't be possible; I suppose there's a greater wish to make things possible after I have the camera was damaged!). There will be no charge to me. All of this seems like reasonable handling of the issue.

I have indicated that I remain worried, even after the repair is done, that other problems might eventually surface due to the knock my camera received. C.R. Kennedy have indicated that they think that unlikely, but that they would take responsibility for that if it arises. Of course, I would rather have a new replacement camera, but I am willing to take the chance and see what happens. But if anything else goes wrong that could in any way be attributed to this knock, I will certainly change my approach and insist on a replacement. I realise many of you believe that I should be pushing for a replacement camera now; I see this point and thank everyone for it. However, given the provision of a loaner, the ongoing responsibility for issues that arise and the very helpful support I have received from C.R. Kennedy throughout, I am willing to accept their approach for now. But my attitude will change if any other issues are experienced as a result of my camera being badly bashed.

The main thing, which no one can ever resolve, is that I will receive the loan camera just after two perfectly clear nights which would have been ideal for astro photography. Not just normal clear nights, but the sort of special clarity, all the way down to the horizon, that I haven't seen for years. That is extremely galling... But there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Bruce - I hear you on having a second body. But there's a problem here... I am so addicted to the results I get from my 645Z, and am such a hard core obsessive, that I just wouldn't be happy with anything produced by anything else. I realise results from full frame cameras now are very good; I also hear you that other types of camera might encourage me to produce different sorts of work. But I know myself - all I would do it look at the results and wish they had been taken with a 645Z. I would rather go through the wringer and wait for my 645Z than put energy/money into other cameras and just not be happy with the results. The answer would be two 645Zs, of course - but I just can't afford that. It's a terrible bind. I know what you say makes logical sense, but I also know it wouldn't satisfy me. So I just have to work on the basis of the one 645Z and constantly hope for the best! It's hard being a single-minded, inflexible idiot about this stuff, but I know that I am.

As for everyone else's excellent points above about the mystery of how it happened, I am as mystified as you all are. I don't see how this could occur within a proper package. I don't see how it could occur at all and leave the body cap unscathed. And if the body cap wasn't attached at the time, I don't see how it could have been mounted after the damage. I am unable to produce a clear or logical account of what happened. All I know is that it did happen while not on my watch and I am just mightily glad that C.R. Kennedy are taking responsibility for offering me a solution here. They jolly well should, of course; but that doesn't automatically mean that they would. So kudos to them for that.

Looks like I will be back in action in a day or two. Just in time to pine for the conditions I have just missed!

Thanks to everyone here for your most excellent support, advice and empathy :-)

I think that's a pretty decent outcome. I actually wish Pentax had some kind of pro membership like other brands so that if the unfortunate did occur they could dish out a temporary lens/camera during this repair time, thus making the idea of you needing a second body null, you simply are covered. Of course you might have to prove some kind of professionalism and insurance for such membership but I think it would be very much welcomed.

In regards to second camera, I hear ya. It's just my little photography head is in love with all genres and I know (for example) that the new K-new coupled with a DFA 150-450 will be able to capture images the 645Z will never manage, it's just genre specific is all. But if landscape/astro is your only baby yer concerned about then everything else will fall short of the Z that's for sure. Coupled with perfect clarity nights... no zoom lens or different genre is probably going to ease the pain (sorry... I shouldn't laugh, evil bruce!).

It's not over yet, Pentax Philippines may deem a replacement is worthy rather than repair... who knows.

Keep in touch and god speed!

[Ed Hurst]

I think that's a pretty decent outcome. I actually wish Pentax had some kind of pro membership like other brands so that if the unfortunate did occur they could dish out a temporary lens/camera during this repair time, thus making the idea of you needing a second body null, you simply are covered. Of course you might have to prove some kind of professionalism and insurance for such membership but I think it would be very much welcomed.

In regards to second camera, I hear ya. It's just my little photography head is in love with all genres and I know (for example) that the new K-new coupled with a DFA 150-450 will be able to capture images the 645Z will never manage, it's just genre specific is all. But if landscape/astro is your only baby yer concerned about then everything else will fall short of the Z that's for sure. Coupled with perfect clarity nights... no zoom lens or different genre is probably going to ease the pain (sorry... I shouldn't laugh, evil bruce!).

It's not over yet, Pentax Philippines may deem a replacement is worthy rather than repair... who knows.

Keep in touch and god speed!

Thanks, mate.

Yeah, I am pretty much 100% a landscape / astro guy, so it is what it is!

Actually, you're wrong about zooms. The 28-45mm on the 645Z is one of my main tools for the job ;-)

I have a feeling that Pentax Philippines won't deem a replacement worthwhile - I say this because C.R. Kennedy feel that the mount is the only problem and they could have replaced it themselves. The problem is that they don't have the tools to make sure the alignment is perfect, so want to fall back on Pentax for that reason (though I suspect this is partly a diplomatic response; I think Pentax need to see the damage so they can take it up with their shipping/courier provider). If what C.R. Kennedy is saying is entirely correct, that suggests the damage might not be so bad. But, as you say, who knows - Pentax may take a more serious view. I really do think that a replacement should be provided. After all, I sent a professional camera for a repair, and it got smashed up badly on their watch. So why not? Partly to avoid future issues arising and partly to maintain their reputation. But what do I know?

Still, we shall see...

Thanks again,
Ed

[BruceBanner]

Thanks, mate.

Yeah, I am pretty much 100% a landscape / astro guy, so it is what it is!

Actually, you're wrong about zooms. The 28-45mm on the 645Z is one of my main tools for the job ;-)

I have a feeling that Pentax Philippines won't deem a replacement worthwhile - I say this because C.R. Kennedy feel that the mount is the only problem and they could have replaced it themselves. The problem is that they don't have the tools to make sure the alignment is perfect, so want to fall back on Pentax for that reason (though I suspect this is partly a diplomatic response; I think Pentax need to see the damage so they can take it up with their shipping/courier provider). If what C.R. Kennedy is saying is entirely correct, that suggests the damage might not be so bad. But, as you say, who knows - Pentax may take a more serious view. I really do think that a replacement should be provided. After all, I sent a professional camera for a repair, and it got smashed up badly on their watch. So why not? Partly to avoid future issues arising and partly to maintain their reputation. But what do I know?

Still, we shall see...

Thanks again,
Ed

If it all goes south I will speak to my contact on your behalf, because I think you'd be within your rights for a tribunal hearing favouring your perspective, but this is a sour route to take and makes future correspondence harder. I kinda love/hate CR Kennedy in that they do pretty good by us, but they are also a monopoly for us Pentaxians.

And oh.. I only meant that a K-new with a DFA 150-450 will put the 645Z to shame for bird shooting, but that's not what the 645Z was intended for, I was getting at the idea of trying to find a different genre of photography to 'get the blood flowing' that might nurse the wounds should a certain camera fall prey and leave a hole in the heart.

I actually find it weird that a photographer can be narrow with their pursuits, I'm very much like a kid in a candy store wanting to do and know all forms of photographic pursuits but lack patience, funds and time to do them any justice (so its probably very wise to be a master of one genre ).